Friday, March 13, 2015

Review: Zali Luna by Emma Jamvold

Sixteen-year-old school girl Zali Luna has just been cast in her first Very Big Movie. But while going to Sydney and working with her gorgeous, world famous co-star Oliver Lamond is a dream come, Zali also has a very big problem. She's pretty sure that she's the only sixteen-year-old girl in the world who hasn't been kissed, and soon she's going to have to kiss Oliver on screen. Zali's determined to get some kissing practice in before the big day, but there's her malicious rival, child star Emma Small to contend with, and then there's Harry, who may have feelings for Zali that go deeper than just friendship.

My Review

Like any teenage girl, Zali Luna is ecstatic when she lands the leading role in a movie. She travels to Australia for an exotic movie shoot, and stars opposite the heartthrob actor Oliver Lamond. Life couldn't be any better, except for one tiny little problem. At sixteen years-old, Zali has never been kissed. She doesn't want her first kiss to be an onscreen embarrassment with hunky Oliver. What if her snarky co-star Emma Small uses Zali's inexperience to steal her leading part? Zali needs to get kissed fast, but she doesn't have many viable options. She even manages to screw up the budding friendship with Harry, the cute driver in charge of taking care of Zali's every need. As taping progresses and Zali gets closer and closer to her on-screen first kiss, Zali learns some valuable lessons about life, friendship, and love.

I liked the premise of Zali Luna: Movie Star, but at first I wasn't sure the story was working. I think the story took a little too long to get to the movie set. Once the actors and actresses came into the story and the characters took life, I found myself drawn into the story. I found myself rooting for Zali and cursing Emma. I wanted Harry and Zali's relationship to deepen, and I wanted Emma to get what was coming to her. I found some of Zali's lack of self-confidence annoying and wished she wasn't so passive, but I think it worked okay in the story. I think some of the characters and relationships could have been fleshed out a tiny bit more because I wanted to know why and how they ticked. The ending was pretty abrupt, but I liked the sentimental, happy way the story ended, although some readers might find the message a little heavy handed. Overall I enjoyed Zali Luna: Movie Star much more than I thought I would.